Sharuti, with a slightly open mouth and no reaction, Ren immediately regretted it. His impulsive actions, unable to control the surging emotions and avoiding Sharuti, were accompanied by awkward excuses, and on top of that, he bluntly poured out his miserable feelings.

‘Because I can’t control a single emotion.’

Naturally, he had no intention of revealing the immature jealousy he couldn’t contain. However, due to his inherently pathetic nature, seeing Sharuti with Ashu, Ren found it impossible to behave rationally.

“[If I become closer to you like Teacher and form a closer relationship, would you treat me as comfortably as Assistant Jo?]”

That cursed remark continued to echo in his mind. While admiring Ashu, who acknowledged and courageously expressed his pure feelings for Sharuti, Ren also felt annoyed.

‘Jealousy [Dash].’

Ashu was the young man who had everything Ren didn’t. Compared to Ren’s large, muscular physique, Ashu, with a much more delicate appearance, had fair skin and a friendly personality that suited his innocent smile.

‘Although he seems powerless.’

In contrast to Ren’s bulky and muscular build, Ashu seemed like he could fly away with a single push due to his tall and slender body. It was an evaluation with Ren’s personal opinion.

Sharuti’s ideal type might be different.

‘There’s no need to compare.’

Above all, Ashu had a family, a home, and a stable life. Unlike Ren, who seemed to have holes everywhere, Ashu was whole.

That was the biggest reason Ashu felt inferior.

‘…Good grief.’

When Ren avoided Sharuti’s touch as if rejecting her hand, it was not intentional. He simply didn’t want to show Sharuti his ugly and pathetic expression on his face. However, when he saw Sharuti’s fingertips trembling as she withdrew her hand, Ren’s mind cleared as if splashed with cold water.

Feeling a sudden sense of crisis as his chest sank, Ren urgently grabbed Sharuti when she turned away from him.

‘[If you’re tired, rest early today.]’

While Sharuti turned away, sinking into the overwhelming self-loathing, Ren bit his lip unintentionally. Inadvertently using informal language after complaining, he felt it must have sounded like an annoying complaint to Sharuti, who seemed irritated by the disappearance of the monitoring gaze. In the end, Ren stopped making excuses, feeling that it was getting too late.

Then, he spoke incoherently, “The flower looks better than the one I gave you, and Sha, you seem to like this flower more… That’s why you don’t let go.”

The more Ren poured out his true feelings without pretense, the lower his head sank. As he revealed his feelings of self-loathing, Sharuti’s reaction disappeared.

“…A flower, you say?”

As Sharuti, who was looking at him with a very perplexed expression, pointed to the flower, Ren nodded without looking at it.
As Ren stared silently, Sharuti pointed to the flower with a very puzzled look. Ren nodded without even looking.

Then, a wicked thought suddenly occurred to him.

‘…Will she say no?’

Even Ren himself thought that his current appearance looked quite pitiful and miserable. If it were Sharuti, who had been particularly considerate of Ren’s weak side, she would definitely offer a rebuttal.

Although he decided to stop the acting to gain sympathy, Ren wasn’t in the mood to nitpick with Ashu but rather to feel a sense of crisis.

“…Ah!”

At that moment, as if Sharuti had realized something, she let out a small sigh.

Sharuti patted Ren’s arm while shaking her head vigorously.

“Are you upset?”

“…What?”

“Yes, I understand.”

This time, Ren looked at Sharuti with a stunned expression. Accepting Sharuti’s comforting touch, Ren found himself unable to speak.

“…”

Despite scolding himself for the childish jealousy, Ren felt pathetic. However, Sharuti’s reaction was shocking. His meager self-esteem was dangerously shaken.

Ren’s mouth trembled.

‘Like consoling a child…’

His trembling discomfort flowed through his throat like a suppressed groan.

Ren rubbed his forehead, revisiting the mismatched conversation.

“Sha, no, that’s not it.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t consider your feelings.”

Sharuti generously reassured him not to worry. Ren swallowed the sigh that felt pitiful. The grip on Sharuti’s robe, which he was holding, tightened.

“So, Sha, I…”

“Sometimes, emotions overflow in the heat of the moment. Yeah, I don’t really care about what happened earlier.”

“…”

Instead, she’s misunderstanding.

Ren swallowed the bitterness of his suppressed sorrow. Compared to his narrow-mindedness, Sharuti was undoubtedly a person with a broad mind.

Ren sighed, contemplating the unexpected revelation.

‘I knew she didn’t see me as a man, but…’

Not only did she not perceive him as a man, but it seemed like she treated him more like a child.

‘I might start longing for the times when I was treated like a patient.’

The unintentional confirmation hit him hard. It wasn’t the time for jealousy towards Ashu.

“I understand.”

Hiding his bitter feelings, Ren returned to his usual indifferent expression.